 Goal:sustainable development through basic education, especially women, girls 
A Critical Need and the Role of Education 
Basic education is key to eradicating systems of poverty, meeting human needs, and sustainable social development. Yet today more than one billion people remain illiterate, most in the poorest countries of the world with rapidly expanding populations. Of these, two-thirds (more than 643 million) are women, showing clear gender discrimination. Yet women are the main food-growers, health-care providers, and, in many cases, only sources of livelihood for themselves and their children. Despite progress made in some countries, the pattern continues for new generations. Today 150 million children still have no opportunity to go to school. Of these, 80 million are girl children. Many poorer governments do not have sufficient resources to open this bottleneck in human development. Effective partnerships between governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organizations are needed to redress the crisis. A Response: The EFAPartnership:
GEA - Religious Orders - UNICEF
In 1990 GEA undertook to work in partnership with UNICEF and other UN agencies to help address this crisis. Specifically, GEA is collaborating on Education for All, a worldwide plan of action adopted at a 1990 summit of Ministers of Education in Jomtien, Thailand under the co-sponsorship of four UN agencies: Unicef, Unesco, UNDP, and the World Bank. EFA seeks to assure basic education and literacy where it does not exist, especially in the poorest countries, with priority being given to illiterate women and girl children with no access to education. GEA brings many strengths to this partnership, including its network of affiliates, partners, and associates in 90 countries, many of whom are educators or have ties to religious and secular educational institutions around the world. The need for EFA as a strategy toward poverty eradication will remain high for the foreseeable future. GEA's network has the potential to make a significant contribution. The project fits our mission. GEA has made a serious commitment to UNICEF and to religious order partners in Africa. If the pilots are effective in demonstrating partnership between religious and educational NGOs and UN agencies, they have the potential for a multiplying effect. This program addresses all elements of GEA's mission to advance global systems that will secure ecological integrity, peace, human rights, social and economic well-being, and democratic participation, with special care to include poor and marginalized people. It includes the following components: 1. Education and Advocacy through publications and programs 2. Replicable EFA projects characterized by cooperation between religious networks, Unicef and other UN agencies, and NGOs in South Africa and Kenya. Project History/Commitments/ Activities
1995-1996 The GEA - Religious Orders - Unicef Partnership in EFA was initiated. A part-time EFA Coordinator was hired in July 1996 with a $40,000 grant and $30,000 was raised to create at least two replicable, collaborative EFA projects between Unicef and GEA (Religious Orders) in East and Southern Africa. Unicef contributed $9,000 in 1996 and $7,000 in 1997 toward this project. An international data base of interested and viable networks for EFA projects was begun and an Academic Committee for North-South collaboration on Peace/Teacher Education was established. 1997-1998 Feasibility study done in Kenya and South Africa; more than 30 projects visited. Meetings were held with relevant representatives of World Bank, to explore their possible collaboration and contribution to pilot projects in Kenya and South Africa. Meetings held with potential collaborators or funders, including Unicef (country offices in Kenya and South Africa), the Association of the Sisterhoods of Kenya, the regional association of the Sisterhoods in Eastern Africa, and the regional association of religious in South Africa, the Jesuit Refugee Service, FAWE (Forum of African Women Educationists), the World Bank (regional offices in Nairobi), UNIFEM, UNEP, ACDI-VOCA (Washington), and Rockefeller Foundation (regional offices in Nairobi). Two pilot projects selected after consultation with Unicef and religious in Kenya and South Africa 1. Kenya: Kisumu. 16 womens' groups/villages. 3 Franciscan communities 2. South Africa: Phokeng (Freedom Park): squatter's village of 20,000 people. Involvement of Christian Brothers/Sisters. Meetings with World Bank (New York, Washington); initial interest in Kisumu proposal, now circulating in DC Bank offices. Preliminary proposals received from five other projects visited in 1997. 1998-1999 Second site visit to Kenya projects by GEA:  | Sisters Judith Fergus and Susan Dunning, Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, California, visited the Kisumu
Krakow hotel rooms Project in Kenya; met the local coordinators and others involved in the Project; facilitated the
establishment of an on-site director; strengthened the relationships between/among the participating
networks; developed a communication process between GEA's secretariat and the on-site project director;
ERROR MSG and provided updated assessments of the Project's development. This visit also solidified the direction of
the Project into the immediate and long-range future and enabled those involved to set appropriate and
realistic timelines and benchmarks for Project evaluation.
| | Land has been purchased, fenced and tended while it is being prepared as the location of the
Demonstration Farm, the Learning Center which will include conference and residential space, and a
omaha hi lo strategie nursery school facility.
| | In early 1999 a water survey was conducted and a self-help "Uyoma Water Supply and Rehabilitation
Program" was begun to address the lack of a reliable source of clean water in the Project area.
| | Educational leadership training opportunities for the women were initiated so that their participation in
and ownership of this Project would be secured.
| | The Project Director, Sister Irene Akumba, FSA, returned to Kisumu in August 1999 to resume the
coordination of the Project. (Her brother, George Misore, has been the Acting Director since October
1998.) | Back to Education for All |
